Axios

President Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the war against Ukraine or there would be a "consequential” response from the United States.

The big picture: The Kremlin last week said that Russia would continue to wage its war in Ukraine until all its military goals have been achieved despite facing a rapidly advancing Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Yeshiva University suspended all student club activities this week after the U.S. Supreme Court denied its request to overturn a lower court ruling requiring the New York college to recognize an LGBTQ student group.

Driving the news: An attorney for the student group, the YU Pride Alliance, called the university’s response to the ruling “shameful," while Yeshiva's president said the school's legal fight is not over.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) challenged Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to a debate amid the latter's decision to send nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, a wealthy enclave outside of Boston.

The big picture: It's the latest in a clash between Republican politicians, who oppose President Biden's immigration and border policies, and Democrats, who have slammed tactics to transport migrants as a political ploy.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said on Friday that it was, as always, "a great day to not be in Jackson," the capital city that had been facing a water crisis after flooding in the Pearl River damaged its water system.

The big picture: Reeves made the comments while speaking in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It's the latest in a back-and-forth between Reeves and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized Republicans on Friday for their "crimes against humanity on refugees" after governors in Arizona, Florida and Texas transported migrants to Democratic states.

The big picture: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) flew nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts earlier this week.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended flying migrant families to Martha’s Vineyard this week and said he plans to spend millions that Florida has budgeted to continue the controversial practice.

Driving the news: “These are just the beginning efforts,” DeSantis said, per CNN. “We’ve got an infrastructure in place now. There’s going to be a lot more that’s happening.”

Republicans are competitive in several governors' races in blue states, even as they struggle in some of the typical battleground contests like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The big picture: If Republicans make inroads on Biden-friendly turf in November, it would be a sign that moderation still sells.

The Department of Justice on Friday sought a stay to block parts of a federal judge's ruling that halted its ongoing review of roughly 100 documents marked as classified that were seized at former President Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

Driving the news: "The district court has entered an unprecedented order enjoining the Executive Branch’s use of its own highly classified records in a criminal investigation with direct implications for national security," the department wrote in the Friday evening filing.

President Biden on Friday met with the families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan "to reiterate his continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely" from Russian detainment, the White House said.

Why it matters: These are Biden's first in-person meetings with the families of Griner and Whelan. For months, both families have urged the Biden administration to bring their loved ones home.

A Texas judge expanded an injunction on Friday to block state officials from investigating families with trans children that belong to PFLAG National, an LGBTQ advocacy group, the ACLU announced.

The big picture: The decision expands on a district court's previous injunction to protect some families that are part of PFLAG, which has sued to block state investigations against them for supporting gender-affirming care.

The Arkansas GOP gubernatorial candidate and former White House press secretary announced she underwent surgery Friday to remove cancer from her throat.

What's happening: Sanders said in a statement that her doctor ordered a biopsy earlier this month that revealed she had thyroid cancer.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed "some of the nation’s most aggressive climate measures in history" to combat human-caused climate change into law on Friday.

Why it matters: The legislative package "complements" the $54 billion in climate funding included in the state's budget earlier this year, Newsom's office said. The new laws come as the state nears the end of a harsh summer that brought record-breaking heat that tested its power grid and contributed to major wildfires.

Nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants who were dropped off on the island of Martha’s Vineyard will be relocated to the Joint Base Cape Cod, an installation with vacant housing and access to social services, Massachusetts officials said.

Why it matters: The nation is watching as state and local officials figure out long-term plans to house the Venezuelan migrants, who were flown to the island in a pair of flights that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) claimed he organized.

Gallup CEO Jon Clifton — out this week with "Blind Spot," a book about improving people's lives through more and better data — tells me:

• "We warned the world in the Fall of 2020 about the global rise of unhappiness. Many heard the information and thought: 'Isn’t that obvious? The entire world is suffering from a global pandemic.'"

We’re 53 days from the November election, and some wildcard voters are feeling "meh" about their options. But the bases are fired up. Axios' Josh Kraushaar on what we know, and how the week in Washington could affect the upcoming election.

• Plus, the Saudi-funded circuit changing the game for men’s golf.

Guests: Axios' Josh Kraushaar and Jeff Tracy.

Credits: Axios Today is produced by Niala Boodhoo, Sara Kehaulani Goo, Alexandra Botti, Lydia McMullen-Laird, Robin Linn, Fonda Mwangi, Alex Sugiura, and Ben O'Brien. Music is composed by Evan Viola. You can reach us at [email protected]. You can text questions, comments and story ideas to Niala as a text or voice memo to 202-918-4893.

Go Deeper

• MAGA’s New Hampshire sweep
• Republicans' rocky attempt to change the abortion narrative
• Everything you need to know about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series

The House Jan. 6 committee is on a potential collision course with the Nov. 8 election.

Why it matters: The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol plans to hold at least one more hearing late this month and release early findings and recommendations before the election.

The White House is privately pressuring House progressives to support Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) permitting reform proposal, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

Driving the news: White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain called Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.), the chair of Congressional Progressive Caucus on Wednesday to urge her to support Manchin’s proposal to make it easier to get regulatory approval for energy transmission and pipeline projects, people familiar with the matter said.

The Biden administration on Thursday announced the U.S. will provide another round of military aid to Ukraine, this time for $600 million, as Russia's invasion nears the seven-month mark.

The latest: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, who this week urged Western allies to hasten weapons deliveries after a Ukrainian counteroffensive forced Russia's military to retreat from the Kharkiv region, welcomed the latest U.S. aid package in a tweet saying, "Together we'll win!"

Ukrainian authorities have found a mass burial site close to Izyum after advancing into the Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday.

Driving the news: In the latest in a string of mass graves Ukrainian and international officials say Russian forces have left behind, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said a burial site containing 440 unmarked graves had been found in Izyum.

The UN food chief said Thursday the war in Ukraine is worsening an "unprecedented" global emergency, with up to 345 million people in 82 countries "marching towards starvation."

Driving the news: Surging food, fuel and fertilizer costs related to the war have driven some 70 million people closer to starvation, UN World Food Program Director David Beasley told the United Nations Security Council.

A man who was photographed wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweater inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection was sentenced Thursday to 75 days in jail, the Department of Justice announced.

The big picture: Photos of Packer wearing the sweatshirt inside the Capitol complex gained national attention, becoming a symbol of the rioting groups who expressed white supremacist and antisemitic views on Jan. 6, 2021, CNN notes.

Republican Govs. Ron DeSantis (Fla.) and Greg Abbott (Texas) ignited a firestorm overnight with their latest transport of migrants — one via plane to a Massachusetts island and the other via bus to Vice President Harris' residence.

The big picture: Since the spring, over 10,000 migrants have been transported from mostly Texas to predominantly Democrat-run cities in a bid to test their social safety nets and challenge President Biden's border policies.